January 2021

Page B11 JANUARY 2021 FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS Se c t i on B CFSA’s Annual Conference & Trade Show will be held APRIL 12-13 at the JW Marriott in Indianapolis EARLY BIRD BOOTH/EXHIBITOR REGISTRATION ENDS JANUARY 25 REGISTER TODAY AT CFSAA.org/AnnualConference Inc. Audrey immediately began working with Carl following their marriage and be- came an integral part of Thacker Caskets. In 1981, Carl C. Thacker passed away and Audrey suddenly found herself at the helm Thacker Caskets’ Audrey Thacker Retires Audrey Thacker of Thacker Caskets with her son, Carl “CJ” Thacker, who just graduated high school. There was no doubt that Au- drey would want to continue building Thacker Caskets, she said, “It was the only thing I had ever done, and it never re- ally crossed my mind to pur- sue anything different. We both wanted to carry on Carl’s legacy.” At the time, Audrey was the only female owner of a casket company. Being the only female in an industry domi- nated by men was not an easy feat. However, Audrey did not let that deter her and she was able to prosper with her son by her side. Once called the Matriarch of the Industry by Amer- ican Funeral Director magazine, Audrey’s im- pact has been astronomical, and she truly has epitomized the definition of leadership over the years. Thacker Caskets is currently the third-largest funeral supply company in the country and the largest family-owned funeral supply company. CJ Thacker, Audrey’s son and CEO of Thacker Caskets, is thankful for the oppor- tunity to build a business with his mother, “Growing up, I always knew I wanted to be a part of the family business and we went through some very difficult times together with the loss of my father. To be able to per- severe and expand and growThacker Caskets with my mother, and then with my children is something I will be forever grateful for. I am very fortunate to have all three of my children working within the business and I know my mom had a big influence on their decision to be a part of the company through watching her hard work, dedication, and love for the business throughout their childhood and into adulthood.” Danielle Thacker, executive vice president of sales and marketing and Audrey’s grand- daughter said, “My grandmother showed an incredible amount of fortitude in taking the helm in the late ’70s and early ’80s as the only female owner of a casket company. Having Adorn Portraits creates Custom Porcelain Headstone Keepsakes their memory and nearer to their heart. Each memorial keepsake is produced in- house in Memphis, using using the latest state-of-the-art technology and proprie- tary toner to create high resolution imag- es. Each picture is created at up to 1200 dpi for impeccable detail. Photographic images are digitally transferred to a por- celain or steel enamel item then fired and fused into the top glaze of the material us- ing temperatures in excess of 1600°F. Adorn Portraits insists on the highest quality of materials and workmanship. Their unique technology and use of spe- cial ceramic pigments ensures the high- est standards of color, visual reproduction, clarity, durability, and quality of imagery. These forever keepsakes install easily on the memorial or headstone with the use of 3M VHB adhesive tapes. All memorial keepsakes created by Adorn Portraits are covered by a lifetime warranty. In the event of defects, break- age, fading or vandalism they will replace the memorial portrait at no charge. Discounted wholesale pricing is avail- able to qualified companies. Learn more at www.adornimages.com . MEMPHIS,TN— Adorn Portraits offers beautiful keepsake portraits for place- ment on a headstone or marker. Rather than provid- ing just a name and date, Adorn Portraits allows the display of a full-color portrait as a reminder of the life and vitality of your client’s loved one, keeping him or her in three girls myself, I can only hope my girls grow up to be as strong, bold, and courageous as their great-grandmother. Her commitment to the industry has been longstanding, but her bittersweet retirement is well deserved!” Justin Thacker, director of operations and Audrey’s grandson fondly recalls the les- sons he has learned working with his grandmother, “Au- drey, my grandmother, has al- ways been an inspiration to me in both my personal and business life. Throughout her career, she has dedicated her- self to the success of the busi- ness and more importantly to the customers that we serve. As I have grown in the busi- ness, she afforded me the opportunity to make my own decisions, which has helped me immensely. No other woman in the in- dustry has accomplished what Audrey has, and she made it happen with hard work and dedication to every facet of the business.” Reflecting on her grandmother’s persever- ance and impact on the industry, SaraThack- er, director of operations and IT, said, “My grandmother is a businessperson through and through and that was clear frommy first sum- mer working. Anyone that has worked with her would agree that her persistence and grit to get the job done, and done correctly, is par- amount. Although I do not think she realized it, those qualities were essential when looking back at all the challenges and hurdles she had to overcome over the years.” Thacker Caskets owes its very existence to Audrey and her strong determination in the face of extremely difficult conditions. Audrey’s retirement is bittersweet for Thacker, as they are delighted for her to enjoy her retirement, yet saddened to lose the expertise, knowledge, and wisdom that she brought to the office ev- ery day. Audrey still plans on visitingThacker’s headquarters in Monrovia, MD, and will stay up to date on internal current happenings. Thacker Caskets would like to sincerely thank Audrey for her loyalty throughout the years, to both Thacker and the entire industry. Thacker Caskets is the funeral industry’s leading family-owned funeral supply compa- ny. To learn more about Thacker, call 800- 637-8891 or visit www.thackercaskets.com. Thacker Family MONROVIA,MD— Thacker Caskets announces the retirement of the chief financial officer and vice president, Audrey Thacker. Audrey’s career with Thacker Cas- kets has truly been remarkable, as she began her involvement with the company in 1959 when she and Carl C. Thacker, founder of Old Dominion Casket Company (lat- er renamed Thacker Caskets), got married. Audrey was no stranger to the industry though, as she met Carl through her work at Casket Shells, Funeral Directors Life helps Businesses to Develop a Pandemic Policy for Employees ABILENE,TX— Since the COVID-19 pandemic hit in mid-March, Funeral Di- rectors Life (FD) has focused on providing a safe and healthy workplace for all employ- ees. At the core of the company’s strategy is the active involvement of a Business Conti- nuityTeam (BCT). The BCT is made up of a diverse team of employees, including a nurse practitioner and chaired by Funeral Directors Life president and CEO, Kris Seale. “Thankfully, and so far, we have seen success with our pandemic policy,” said Seale. “We are an essential business so we must find ways to remain open and serve our customers while staying healthy and safe in our workplace. Through our pol- icies, communication, and cooperation, we’ve been able to minimize the spread of COVID-19 cases in the workplace. We feel fortunate to say this and we hope to see the positive trend continue.” One of the first achievements of the Busi- ness Continuity Team at FD was the creation of a pandemic policy to outline their re- sponse to the outbreak. The company’s emer- gency preparedness and business continuity plan were carefully reviewed. The plan out- lined specific steps the company should take to safeguard employees’ health and well- being while ensuring the company’s ability to maintain essential operations and continue providing essential services to customers. The plan was adjusted to address the specific na- ture of the COVID-19 pandemic and the si- multaneous widespread acceptance of remote communication tools like videoconferencing and document collaboration. FD’s Business Continuity Team devel- oped a system under which essential per- sonnel can be directed to act based on a se- ries of levels (Level 1 – Normal Operations, for example, or Level 5 – Critical Risk). All areas of the business are taken into consideration, including personnel, visi- tors, movement around the building, social distancing, masks, meeting rooms, disin- fecting surfaces, and COVID testing (since FD has its own nurse practitioner, COVID tests can be administered at the office). “At this point, no one really knows when a viable vaccine will be available. So, busi- nesses have a responsibility for intention- ally creating and maintaining a healthy workplace for their employees. The em- ployees of FD are our greatest asset. We encourage other businesses to develop a plan for themselves.” added Seale. As a service to other businesses, Funeral Directors Life will provide their pandemic policy to others who wish to create their own plan. Simply send requests to mar- keting@funeraldirectorslife.com. Funeral Directors Life is a life insurance company which specializes in the sale of prepaid funeral insurance policies and an- nuities. Our mission is “To be known as the best, most-respected provider of service to the funeral industry.” For more infor- mation about Funeral Directors Life, visit www.funeraldirectorslife.com.